ESPE Abstracts

Background and aims: The aromatase inhibitor letrozole is used to improve final height in boys with predicted short stature by delaying bone age (BA) maturation due to suppression of estradiol levels. There are few data regarding its effects, especially when used as single medication.Methods: Ten pubertal boys with predicted low final height treated with letrozole 2.5 mg/d p.o. (no other medication) for up to 24 months were analysed for auxological, labo...

Background: Cell-mediated initiation of enchondral ossification is essential for growth plate maturation. The matrix mineralization inhibitors matrix Gla protein (MGP) and osteocalcin (OC) represent key regulators of matrix mineralization and are highly expressed in growth plate chondrocytes. Pharmacological or nutritional phylloquinone (K1) depletion is known to affect skeletal mineralization by reduced gamma-carboxilisation of MGP and OC. Constituents of mineral matrix such ...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (PHP-Ib) is due to a maternal loss of GNAS exon A/B methylation and leads to decreased expression of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα) in specific tissues. Evidence suggests an increased incidence of imprinting disorders in children conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Nevertheless, no associations between ART and PHP – Ib have been found to date.Clinical case: 7.4-years-old male with...

Background: Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HH) is the most common cause of severe, persistent neonatal hypoglycemia. Treatment of diffuse forms that is unresponsive to diazoxide and octreotide is near total pancreatectomy.Objective: To describe the clinical characterization of a newborn with congenital HH due to a diffuse pancreas lesion and unresponsive to diaxoside.Case report: Preterm term male of 33 weeks born to non-consanguin...

Background: Steroid responsive encephalopathy with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT) is a clinically and electrographically heterogeneous steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with thyroid autoantibodies.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate, whether children and adolescents with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HT) lacking acute clinical manifestation of SREAT show electroencephalogram (EEG) alterations, and to compare EEGs of HT patients with those...

Background: A reduced GH response to different stimulation tests have been documented in both children and adults with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), independently from obesity. Previous reports suggested the hypothesis of an age dependent derangement of the hypothalamus–pituitary axis occurring in PWS subjects.Objective and hypotheses: In this longitudinal study we re-evaluated the GH responsiveness to a combined test after long-term GH therapy ...

Background: Rasopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases that share phenotypic characteristics such as facial dysmorphism, congenital heart disease and short stature.Objective and hypotheses: Evaluation of growth and study of the GH–IGF1 axis. Molecular Study of the PTPN11, SOS1, RAF, KRAS, NRAS, MAP2K1 and MAP2K2 genes. Evaluation of growth and study of the GH–IGF1 axis.Method: Descriptive retrospective study in pat...

Background: Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) often segregates in an autosomal dominant pattern, suggesting that inheritance is conferred by a small number of genes. However, the underlying genetic background is mostly unknown. By comparison, many genes have been identified where loss-of-function mutations lead to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). Despite likely overlap between the pathophysiology of delayed puberty and conditions of GnRH deficiency, few studies have examine...

Background and aims: Glucocorticoid treatment may influence bone and muscle development in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This study evaluated bone mineral density (BMD), bone geometry and muscle mass longitudinally throughout childhood.Methods: 18 patients (ten males, eight females) with classical CAH were included. BMD, bone geometry and muscle mass were measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) in prepubert...

Background: Several studies show impaired glucose tolerance at a certain number of years after start of growth hormone in SGA-children.Objective and hypotheses: To perform a longitudinal and cross-sectional evaluation of the oGTTs (glucose-insulin-pairs) in prepubertal GH-treated SGA-children and to evaluate if ISI and HOMA are effective surrogates for glucose tolerance and of prognostic value (0–1 year data).Method: In 81 pre...